


The Bokuto Smile

by kiyala



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2015-11-18
Packaged: 2018-05-02 06:23:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5237747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bokuto is nothing like Kenma, but that much is obvious enough to anyone who has spent more than five seconds in his presence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bokuto Smile

It's a late summer afternoon, the sun throwing golden light across the floor of Tetsurou's room as it slowly sinks into the horizon. He's looking forward to nightfall, hopeful that they'll get some reprieve from the overbearing heat of the day once the sun has set. He has the air conditioning turned on but it doesn't feel like enough. His tank top is sticking to his back with sweat and it's uncomfortable, but he isn't about to move now. Not when Kenma is pressed to his side, attention focused on the PSP in his hands. Their skin is warm where it's pressed together but Kenma so rarely initiates physical contact, so when he sits down half on top of Tetsurou and makes himself comfortable, Tetsurou is going to do everything he can to make sure Kenma _stays_ comfortable.

There aren't many people in the world whose comfort Tetsurou would prioritise over his own, no matter how nice he can be, but Kenma is on the top of that very short list. Kenma is the exception to every rule that Tetsurou has and it's never been an intentional thing, just the way things have always been. Tetsurou cares for Kenma, he adores him—

 _I love Kenma_ , he thinks to himself, and it's not the first time he's had the thought. It's not even the first time he's put the feeling into words for himself, but something about it feels different all the same. It doesn't come with the rush of panic, the sudden need to do something about it, or the fear that it's unrequited. There's none of that. 

All he has is the fading light of the day, the quiet sounds from Kenma's video game, and the realisation that he can love Kenma without being _in love_ with Kenma. It feels like the most obvious thing in the world now that he's thought about it and he wants to laugh. 

He strokes his fingers through Kenma's hair instead, feeling him freeze up for the briefest moment before leaning into the touch. Tetsurou shuts his eyes with a smile, content with what he has.

 

* * *

 

Bokuto is—well. 

Bokuto is nothing like Kenma, but that much is obvious enough to anyone who has spent more than five seconds in his presence. Bokuto is loud where Kenma is quiet, outgoing while Kenma is withdrawn. They're absolutely nothing alike, but just as with Kenma, there's something about Bokuto that draws Tetsurou to him. He's easy-going, he's _fun_ and he's easily Tetsurou's best friend. Kenma doesn't count—Kenma is a given fact in Tetsurou's life and the two of them are like a package deal. Anyone who is friends with Tetsurou is going to have to deal with Kenma being around in some aspect, and the fact that Kenma is always going to be somewhere at the top of Tetsurou's priorities. 

Bokuto's good at this. He's good at giving Kenma space when he needs it and at pulling him along when he knows that it'll work. He's good at reading the situation, even if it's usually hidden somewhere between his loud voice and intense determination. 

Bokuto is good at a _lot_ of things, honestly, and that brings Tetsurou right back to his point—Bokuto and Kenma might be Tetsurou's closest friends, but they make him feel completely different. Kenma is a steady warmth, a fondness that burns brightly in Tetsurou's chest. Bokuto makes Tetsurou feel like he's in the middle of a hurricane, not because of his energy but because of the way the smallest things can shake Tetsurou up, the way Tetsurou will think about his loud laughter, the amusement dancing bright in his eyes, his _arms_ —

"You're smiling," Kenma says, pulling Tetsurou out of his thoughts. 

They're on the bus home, after going out with Bokuto and Akaashi. Kenma hit social exhaustion halfway through the day and has retreated to his games, PSP held to his face ever since, while Tetsurou guides him around. It shouldn't really surprise him that Kenma's still watching him, but Tetsurou feels the back of his neck grow warm and he lets out a small, self-conscious laugh.

"I smile all the time."

"That's your Bokuto smile," Kenma replies, and goes back to his game.

Tetsurou blinks. "What?"

Kenma shrugs, and Tetsurou knows he won't get an explanation. It's fine. He'll figure it out himself. He already has a sneaking suspicion that he knows exactly what Kenma means by it, though. Perhaps he's known for a while.

He leans back in his seat and thinks about it, thinks about Bokuto. This time, he doesn't even need Kenma to tell him that he's smiling again.

 

* * *

 

Seeing Bokuto after the realisation is—interesting, to say the least. Things start making a little more sense now, like the way his heart pounds in his chest when he sees Bokuto, the way his skin tingles under Bokuto's warm touch. Bokuto's grin makes him grin wider too, and Tetsurou is _ridiculously_ in love and it's nothing like the way he loves Kenma at all. It's something new, and he's glad that unlike with his feelings for Kenma, it hasn't taken him years to figure it out. 

"You've been smiling since we met at the station," Bokuto points out to him. "You're going to end up with sore cheeks that way. Trust me, I know."

"You _would_ ," Tetsurou snorts. "You haven't stopped smiling either." 

"Why would I?" Bokuto looks away, before meeting Tetsurou's eyes again. "I'm with you, bro."

" _Bro_ ," Tetsurou says with feeling, a hand held to his chest. "I'm touched."

"Hold this for me?" Bokuto asks and Tetsurou holds his hand out, blinking with surprise when his fingers close around Bokuto's hand.

Looking down at their joined hands, Tetsurou huffs out a quiet laugh. "Did Kenma tell you?"

"Did Kenma tell me what?" Bokuto asks, blinking at him. "I just wanted you to hold this." 

"You seriously couldn't have picked a better line to use?" Tetsurou asks, but he's grinning even wider now and Bokuto's right, his cheeks _are_ going to end up sore. He doesn't mind at all. 

"It's the first one I thought of," Bokuto replies, swinging their hands between them. "You had that look in your eyes when we met at the station and I knew I had to do something."

Tetsurou raises an eyebrow. "What look?"

"Like you figured this out," Bokuto squeezes his hand for emphasis. "Like you figured _us_ out. You kept me waiting for a bit but I guess Kenma's the brains for a reason."

"I'm going to punch you," Tetsurou tells him. "Don't think I won't."

"How are you going to punch me?" Bokuto asks. "I'm holding your hand."

Tetsurou bumps his side against Bokuto's instead, making them both stagger. Bokuto tightens his grip on Tetsurou's hand a little more, bursting out in laughter. Tetsurou pulls him close again, laughing too. 

He loves Bokuto—is actually _in love_ —and it feels just as right as having Kenma in his life. That's all he can really ask for.


End file.
